The Manasse-Block Tanning Company was founded in 1900 by August Manasse and Roy Block, whose families had leather-related businesses in Napa

Napa, California

-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...

 and San Francisco

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

, California, respectively. The Manasse-Block tannery was relocated in 1905 from Oakland

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 to 4th and Gilman Streets, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

, on a site previously used by the Deach Tannery. Manasse-Block remained in this location for 80 years, until it closed in 1986.

The primary product of the tannery was boot and shoe leather. Raw cow hides were processed from start to finish on the site. However, towards the end of the factory's productive years, hides that had been processed elsewhere were finished on the site.

The site was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark on April 21, 1986. Utilizing the remaining seven structures, the property currently provides units for a small number of live/work spaces and various business establishments and remains one of the oldest intact industrial sites in the city. "The oldest buildings are on the south side of the property along Third Street and are heavy post-and-beam construction with six-over-six light windows and rustic overlapping wood siding."

See also

• List of Berkeley Landmarks, Structures of Merit, and Historic Districts
• Tanning
  Tanning
  Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
  
  
• Leather
  Leather
  Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...